A Fine Mess
by Mizz Ri
Summary: Fighting, playing protector, and a general sense of not belonging in this strange new place is just barely touching the surface of Mali's life. Throw in some demons and a little romance and this is what you get!
1. Prologue

Now before I start this I just want to give you guys a lowdown on this. The idea for this story has been running through my head so freaking much so I decided to get it out of my system. I will be posting chapter 1 right after this gets put up. So, as for this little prologue, it will be a short monologue from the main character, aka, my OC. No name will be given yet. Thanks for reading everyone!

!Disclaimer! I do not own anything of Yu Yu Hakusho, but I do own my plot and the OC's.

**A Fine Mess – Prologue**

Life ain't easy. There's no yellow-brick road that'll take you to where you wanna be; no "get out of jail free" card. There will always be some obstacle in the way of your goal. That obstacle will do its best to keep you from going where you really wanna go, but that's what separates the strong from the weak. I'm not talkin' physical strength here; I'm talking about someone who has the right stuff. What is the right stuff you ask? I'll tell ya. Bravery, compassion, courage…those types of things make up the right stuff. You've gotta have heart and a serious strong will to shove those obstacles aside! Anyone can do it, all you gotta do is try. And sometimes it's harder for others who have had some shitty circumstances. They might think that there ain't no point in trying; they'll always be stuck at the bottom. I would know. Being abused can hurt even the strongest person, and it's hard to get out of it. But there is hope...there always is. You just gotta know where to look.

For anyone who is being abused, just try to find someone, anyone, that could help you through the pain and hopefully one day get you out. You just gotta believe in yourself and not let anyone hold so much power over you. It's hard, but you can do it.

It's funny how I always get started on this when I don't even follow my own advice…and I really should.


	2. Another Craptastic Day

Hope you guys liked the little prologue! I know it was a little cheesy, so sorry about that. And I'm sure if you caught the meaning behind it all, then yes she was talking more to herself at first and well…I won't say anything else so I won't completely ruin the story. And no, my OC is not going to be all boohoo, poor me and all that. She may seem that way at first, but just you wait! Keep reading, you'll see!

**!Disclaimer****! I do not own anything of Yu Yu Hakusho, but I do own my plot and the OC's. **

**A Fine Mess – Another Craptastic Day**

The gym was always packed at this time of day, and she never understood why they couldn't come early in the morning when no one was around. She watched her guardian bench press his usual set before going off to the punching bag. There was a big fight coming up and she needed to be ready. She was on a winning streak lately and this would be her toughest opponent yet. So she went to work on the punching bag, practicing a few new techniques she had learned from her trainer the other day. She didn't know what would happen to her if she didn't keep up the wins, and she didn't want to know.

* * *

><p>"Damn it Kuwabara, get out of the way!"<p>

The tall, orange-haired man dove to the ground, sensing his comrade's attack hurtling straight towards him and the demon he was engaged with. Luckily he moved just in time and the unsuspecting demon was fried. "Jeez Urameshi, you couldn't give me more of a warning or waited until you had a better shot?" He screeched.

Urameshi just grinned at his friend. "Hey, at least we got him! You dodged in time anyways, so it's not a big deal."

"NOT A BIG DEAL? I COULD HAVE BEEN BARBEQUED!"

"Well, you weren't so let's head back to Spirit World before Koenma has a fit."

Grumbling, Kuwabara got up and followed after him. They arrived in Spirit World shortly after and were on their way to Koenma's office when Kuwabara noticed two men standing outside of the door. One was short with spikey hair, the other looked rather feminine with green eyes and red hair. Kuwabara blinked at them as they approached them.

"Hey you guys, what're you doing here?"

"We were summoned by Koenma. My guess is that we have another mission."

"Hn. And here I was hoping I was through being one of Koenma's lackeys."

Urameshi laughed. "Oh come on Hiei, it'll be like old times!"

The shorter man grunted and mumbled something under his breath.

"So Kurama," Urameshi turned to the redhead, "have any idea what this could be about?"

Kurama shook his head. "None, Yusuke. We might as well go in and see for ourselves."

He nodded and walked inside the office once the doors were open.

* * *

><p>Practice at the gym had been a bit extreme. It was practically nearly nonstop, with a couple of 10 minute breaks and an hour lunch break during the whole 8 hours she was there.<p>

"Li! Get your shit and let's go or you're running home again!" Mali looked up at her guardian wearily. She knew what he meant when he said running. The last time she didn't hurry fast enough he had a tied a rope around her waist with the other end tied to the tailgate of his truck and made her run the whole way behind him. She sighed and grabbed her bag quick and ran after him out of the worn down building. She hopped into the back of the truck and settled down for the ride to the house. She wouldn't necessarily call it home, but it was where she lived for now. She looked down at her naturally tanned skin and then back at her pale-skinned guardian. She missed her real parents, not that she would ever admit that to anyone. She had to be tough; if not for herself then for her little sister. Her younger sister, Isra, was 9. Mali was 10 years older than her and felt that it was her duty to keep her sister safe from these people. Everything was fine when they had moved in with their new "parents", but things changed after a couple of years. Mark had wanted a boy of his own. He had agreed to adopt since his wife was already having a hard time conceiving a child. So they adopted Mali and her sister. In the first two years, Mark and his wife had tried having their own children, and succeeded in having two daughters. Then Trisha had gotten pregnant again, and this time it was a boy. They were so happy and everything was great until she lost the child. Then everything changed…

Mali shook her head again to clear her mind and hopped out of the bed of the truck when she heard Mark yell a disgruntled "Li!" at her general direction. Oh how she hated when he called her that.

* * *

><p>So hoped you guys liked it! I actually really love the way this turned out so my head is just brewing up various ideas for this! I'll try getting another chapter out tomorrow but no promises. College classes suck, ya know? Reviews are appreciated and loved!<p> 


	3. If I Were A Boy

Well here we go boys and girls! Chapter 2! No, I don't not own Yu Yu Hakusho, happy now?

Thank you to those who added my story to their faves and reviewed! You gave me my motivation to push this one out!

**A Fine Mess – If I were a boy**

The prince of Spirit World sat behind his desk surveying his ex-team. He really didn't like having to call them in, but he needed the best for this case. Koenma pushed a button on his desk and a large screen came down, the image of a farm coming into view.  
>"This, team, is where you will be going for your mission."<p>

Yusuke stared. "A farm? You're making us help out some country guy overseas with his farm?"

Koenma sighed at the ex-spirit detective. "No Yusuke, this is where your charge is. You will protect them and I would like you to bring them here to spirit world."

Kuwabara was studying the farm, his arms crossed over his chest. "So what's so special about 'em?"

"Once you find them, you'll see."

The young prince knew his team was not thrilled about their assignment, but he just couldn't leave this in anyone's hands.

[-]

It was only 8 o'clock in the morning and man was it steaming hot outside. There was no breeze – just a stale heat that made you feel sticky as soon as you put one toe out the door. But Mali was no stranger to it. She went straight out to the rice fields to get to work. It would be another long day of hard work but that was okay. It kept her away from Mark and Trish, and that's all that mattered.

[-]

Isra walked to school that morning, glad to be out of the house for a while. Unlike the other kids that she went to school with, Isra loved going to school each week. She got away from all that violence and anger. She could only take so much before she started to break down, and she didn't like to cry in front of any of them. The only person she didn't mind was her sister, but even then she didn't want Mali to see her so sad. Isra knew that Mali hated seeing her that way, so she tried her best to smile while she was around her older sister. She knew Mali had it harder with Mark and Trish. So she kept her head up and headed inside to class. Somehow things would work themselves out, and they'd be able to get away from there forever. They just had to.

[-]

It was nearly 5 o'clock when Mali had finished her duties out in the fields. She knew that there would be hell to pay if she didn't have dinner finished and ready by 6, so she ran back to the old house and began cooking a quick meal. Mark would be home from work soon and Trish would be back from running to the store soon after. Once dinner was done she covered it so it would stay warm and went to her room to get cleaned up and change her clothes. She left her outfit to a plain black tank and jeans. There was no point in getting her good clothes ruined if Mark decided he was going to have another one of fits again. He always targeted her to take out his aggression on. Thoughts kept hammering through her mind until an angry "Li!" cut through the peace. Mali sighed and then hurried downstairs. There was Mark sitting at the dinner table, his two daughters sitting at the table with him. Trish walked in as Mali started fixing everyone a plate, Isra following her inside at a safe distance. Of course she wouldn't let the older woman know how afraid she was of her; though Isra knew she could probably already tell.

Everyone was given their meal, Isra being the last one. Mali grabbed a piece of fruit from the counter and went into the living room until they were all done. She knew better than to try and squeeze in at the dinner table. The table was made for four, and when they had their first daughter they squeezed all five of them at the table, but they never would make room for all six of them, so the fifth spot was left to either Mali or Isra, and Mali preferred for her sister to be able to sit at the table to eat. Mali would eat after they were all done or not at all.

After dinner, Mark grabbed Mali roughly by the arm and dragged her outside and made her practice a few more of her moves. Had she been able to eat? No. Did he care? Not one bit. He was so focused on his want for a boy, he started to treat Mali the way he would a son, albeit a little more harshly.

"Focus, Li! How do you expect us to take home the prize money if you don't concentrate?"

Mali bristled at the name. She always hated it when he called her by that name.

She was NOT a boy.

Mark kept barking orders at her for a couple of hours, not noticing the little girl standing outside watching them. She was getting angrier and angrier at the way he was running her sister ragged. He didn't stop until he felt it. He knew when he started getting the creeps, something bad was going to happen. Mark stopped and looked at Isra standing there, shaking slightly and her eyes narrowed at him. Mali could see it coming, and tried to talk her sister down but it was too late. Mark was on the ground ten feet away from them suddenly and having the wind knocked out of him.

Isra stared at him in shock, officially snapped out of it and did the only thing she could think of – run. She ran to the room her and her sister shared. Isra couldn't believe she had done it again!

* * *

><p>So I know this wasn't all that long, but the chapters will start getting more interesting and longer soon! And I know there isn't much of the YYH Gang in the story yet, and they won't be fully pulled in until chapter 4, so please bear with me! Next chapter will show some of the punishment that comes along with Isra's abilities and something happens to make Mali snap….wonder what it is? Reviews are great :]<p> 


	4. You're Gonna Get Burned

Alright, so I'm terribly sorry it's taken me this long to update, but I've been so busy between work and helping out with bunch of other stuff and then just…ugh! So I will try to get better at updating these a little sooner. Enjoy and reviews are most welcome!  
>I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, happy?<p>

**Chapter 3 – You're gonna get burned**

Mali hurried inside and ran to the room that her and Isra shared, pausing only a few minutes to watch the small frame of her younger sister curled into a ball and shaking. It was a rare thing for Isra to lose her temper, and when she did bad things always happened. She didn't have the control her sister did when it came to their powers. She had no idea what she really was and Mali didn't have the heart to tell the poor girl just how different they were. It was easier for them to hide what they were here in the US where no one really knew them, but back home was a different story. The way that their parents were treated in their village…  
>Mali shook her head to free her mind from what memories she had of the past when her parents were alive and turned her attention to the person curled up on the bed next to hers. She rested her hand on the younger girls back. "It's okay Isra...everything will be okay..." And as she continued to murmur promises that everything would be okay to help calm her sister down, she knew it was useless. Both of the girls knew that this was just the quiet before the storm, and they had no idea how bad the storm was about to get.<p>

[-]

Yusuke had a scowl etched onto his face at their current mission. Koenma had gotten too comfortable in ordering him around ever since King Enma had given up on wanting him dead. Now he was expected to do all of these odd jobs for the Prince of Spirit World and it frustrated him. He blinked when Kuwabara stepped up beside him and looked out at the foreign land laid out before them. "There's something weird about all this," started his orange haired friend. "I thought this was gonna be simple but...I dunno man."  
>"Ah Kuwabara, stop being stupid. We're just going to pick up a couple of girls and head back home."<br>"Urameshi, it's not gonna - hey! I am not being stupid, you jerk!" The two kept on bickering as the other two members of the team began going over a strategy of how to get their mission done and over with as quickly as possible, and even a way to get the other two to be quiet.

[-]

Mali groaned as she slowly opened her eyes, trying to keep the headache she felt from getting any worse. It took her a minute to come to her senses. 'It's Friday morning. The kids are at school, Trish is out shopping, and Mark is...' She gulped as she remembered that he had tolerance training set up for her today. Her fight would be in two days and he wanted to make sure she would be ready to win. If Mali could win her next two matches then they'd get the prize money, and that's all that Mark was worried about.

She quickly got dressed as she hurried down the stairs while throwing her hair up in a little bun. Mali froze as she saw the group of boys waiting in the living room. She could feel their energy seeking hers out and quickly hid any traces of her aura away and continued into the room. Shoving past the leader of the group, she grabbed the bag under the table and began to head outside when Mark walked in from outside, a fake smile plastered on his face as he saw her. Grabbing her by the arm, he pulled her back over to the group that had their eyes fixed on the two. "Mali," he started, "this is the help that I hired to tend to the fields while we're away."  
>Mali nodded her head slightly, her emotions tucked away tightly. "Nice to meet you. Thank you for accepting the job."<br>The boys silently acknowledged and said hello in their own way as Mark pushed Mali back to the front door. "Well we have some more practice to take care of before the match on Sunday so go ahead and get settled and we'll be back in time for dinner." As the two walked out of the door and made their way to the shed, the boys stood and watched them go before sharing a glance.  
>"Okay so who else thought that was extremely uncomfortable?" Yusuke rolled his shoulders and stretched slightly as if to ease the tension that had settled in his muscles. Kuwabara looked at him then back to the others.<br>"I thought we were supposed to be babysitting some brats, not doing farm work! And how are those two related anyways?"  
>Their red-headed companion turned the current events about in his mind and sighed slightly. "It's possible that they are only related by marriage but we will need to wait and see how things go tonight."<br>Everyone nodded their assent and went to scout out their living conditions for the next few days.

[-]

Mali grunted as another punch connected with her gut and just about sent her sprawling on the ground. Mark' grin was twisted and dark as he continued to wail on the younger girl. She would be covered in bruises and possibly wouldn't be able to move in the morning but she had to take it. The images running across her mind kept her in control and in place. If he got a hold of Isra she would lose it, and that couldn't happen. If they kicked her out then she knew Isra would follow, and they had nowhere to go. So that left her with only one option: suck it up and deal with it.

She was snapped back to reality as another fist connected with her left cheek, leaving her on the ground and stunned. Mark sneered at her. "So you really think you're ready to face Virote? You do know he's the champion and has been for the past three years, don't you? Of course you do, you stuck up bitch. Always thinking that you're better than us because you and your sister are so different. You're nothing but freaks, you got me? You are a fucking FREAK! And your darling little sister? Well, she is turning out to be quite the looker..." He paused and waited while he watched her. The only thing on his mind was the prize money, and he would tear every last piece of this girl's sanity to shreds for it. Hours passed as he kept up with the relentless physical and mental abuse until it was time for them to head back for dinner. His wife would be cooking dinner tonight while Mali was locked down in the freezing cold basement, and so he did not want to keep her waiting. So he grabbed Mali by the collar and dragged her back to the house and threw her into the basement.

And as Mark headed around and into the house, she couldn't help but let her emotions run free. At least in here she was alone. At least in here, she could afford to shed a few tears. And at least in here, she was allowed a few moments of escape from the harshness of reality.

[-]

Mark smiled at his wife and kissed her on the cheek as he passed by. Trish let out a small giggle and followed out after him and set the table for the family. She sat down and watched as the newcomers walked in and sat at the small coffee table in the living room where their food sat. She hid a smirk as she turned to Isra. "Isra, honey, why don't you go sit with the boys so they're not so lonely?" Isra nodded and kept her eyes trained on the floor as she quickly left the table and went to the living room.

She bit her lip and stood nervously near the group. Isra knew that they could feel her presence in the room, but they were choosing to ignore it. Maybe they were just as nervous as she was? She hoped they couldn't tell...  
>"Excuse me, but I thought you all would like some company...so you don't feel left out..." she smiled slightly while all the time keeping her eyes cast down. Kuwabara was the first one to look up and acknowledge the kid, and nodded after a few seconds.<br>"Thanks...there's some room over if you wanna sit." He motioned to the end of the small table. She nodded slightly and sat next to the large man. She was surprised at how comfortable she felt around him and was glad to know at least one of them was kind. Kurama turned to the younger girl and smiled.  
>"So, what is your name?"<br>Sitting her plate down, she glanced at him and replied, "My name is Isra. And what's yours?"  
>"My name is Kurama. It's a pleasure to meet you. These are my friends..." And Isra greeted each one of the boys as they were introduced. Her smile grew and she was sure her cheeks would be hurting tonight; it had been such a long time since she had smiled so much.<p>

"So, Isra..." started Yusuke.  
>Isra's head snapped up as she looked at him with her head tilted to the side."Yes?"<br>"How are you related to those folks? You and that other girl...uh..."  
>"Oh, Mali? Well, they adopted us from the hadn't been there too long, and it was hard getting used to something so new when our parents death was so fresh...," she blushed and bowed her head. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to go on like that. You guys just feel so...comforting...I don't know why." She smiled apologetically then glanced in the direction of the basement as a loud bang was heard.<br>Mark glared in that direction and excused himself from the table. As soon as he opened the door to head down to the basement, Mali's screams could be heard in the whole house. Mark smirked as he went down the stairs, shutting the door after him.

The boys stared at each other...what in the world was going on?

* * *

><p>So hopefully you guys liked it! I really am sorry it's taken me this long to get updates out but I will be trying my hardest to update as much as I can. I'm starting back to school in January so I can't promise anything other than that I WILL finish this story and STT! Thank you so much and I wanna know what you think about it...so review please?<p> 


End file.
